Health, Fitness and Nutrition Articles

How To Defeat Your Technology Demons

I have an enemy. This enemy is also one of my best friends, so it can be a tricky relationship. You could say it’s a mix of love and hate, a relationship both helpful and destructive, affirming and negating. Our bond makes me both smarter and dumber, and sometimes I feel deeply connected but often totally tuned out.

Caught on yet? I’m talking about technology. From smart phones to Instagram, music libraries and apps to email, the tech-human relationship is definitely strained for a lot of people.

Every now and then, you just need to disconnect from all your devices in order to reconnect with the real world – your environment, the people you love, your own body and mind.

That’s why fitness, yoga and meditation are all so special – they help you reconnect with your soul and really feel a connection with your body and mind, rather than just whizzing through your day without giving a second thought to what you’re doing or how you’re really feeling.

OK so you’ve got the fitness part down but what if yoga doesn’t do it for you and meditation feels intimidating? What then?

Join us out bush this Saturday (free event!)

This coming Saturday, we’re celebrating the re-launch and open day of our Hello Sunshine Club for the Spring/Summer season and you’re invited to come along and free your mind in the funnest possible way.

This is an opportunity to engage with the Agoga community, have a rumble and tumble in the great outdoors, jump out of trees into creeks, BBQ up a storm, listen to live music and just have a little fun being rather than doing for a change.

Click here for all the details and to register your spot – friends and family are more than welcome to attend too. Come with an open mind and a loving heart, in whatever threads you feel match your mood on the day. Just make sure you pack a pair of swimmers in there somewhere 😉

And whether you get out of the big smoke with Hello Sunshine or in your own time, here’s why it’s important to step away from your screens every now and then:

1 – You get your concentration back

When you spend all your time online, it’s easy to flit from one thing to the next in less than a heartbeat, never really concentrating on one thing for any given time. Stepping away from technology and into nature allows you to slow down, reconnect and absorb your surroundings. It teaches you to concentrate again.

2 – Be reminded there’s something bigger and more important to discover than what lies in your inbox

Spending time in the great outdoors, laughing and moving reminds you that life has a more important purpose than just getting through your to-do list. There’s nothing like walking through trees that are thousands of years old, swimming in fresh water, or canoeing through an untouched environment to remind you how big and expansive life is.

3 – It makes you more coordinated

Instead of just walking on footpaths, roads and gym floors, you’re navigating sticks, rocks, trees and shrubs, different environments and stimulus. This is really important for your coordination and agility as an athlete and in everyday life too.

4 – It busts stress FAST

Nature is beautiful. The air is fresh and the open spaces make you feel expansive, rather than boxed in. Even the colours that surround you – blues and greens – are calming and inspire creativity. There is actually a “Green Exercise” movement based on the science behind just how effective taking your workout into the great outdoors is and when you combine that with fun, exploration and game-play, all without the pull of technology to drag you out of the moment, you’re in for the best stress-buster on the planet!

5 – It makes your heart soar and releases negative emotion

We can’t quite explain it, but there’s something about getting away from the hustle and bustle and into nature that just screams freedom. Negative feelings melt away, your emotions are put in perspective and your energy just lifts.

6 – If we could sum it all up in one simple quote…

“The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hands of man”. It hits home, right?

About Hello Sunshine

Agoga Movement Coach & Head Adventurist, Jesse Hogan created Hello Sunshine as a place for corporate and sports teams, as well as everyday people to reconnect with their true spirit by spending a day or two roaming barefoot and taking on tailored challenges in bush land less than an hour from Sydney’s metropolitan madness.

Hand in your mobile phone at the door and get your feet dirty exploring, canoeing, climbing trees, swimming in the creek, getting active, listening to music, even hiking to and camping out at random places in the middle of nowhere, or whipping out your surfboard for a ride, depending on the experience you choose to sign up for.

Libby is the founder of AGOGA. She is also the new trainer for Channel TEN’s "The Biggest Loser: Transformed," fitness expert for Women’s Fitness Magazine and 'entertrainer’ for the Hit Network. Libby also founded BUF Girls and Chief Bar.